‘The children remain completely engaged as the performers make occasional forays into the audience, proffering scrunched up paper, blowing bubbles or hanging fairy lights…it’s a magical spectacle.

Ultimately, it’s a heart-breaking tale, as the little girl has to light matches to stay warm. But, at a time when sad endings seem to have been excised from most mainstream children’s fiction, it’s a pleasure to find a company staging a play which raises difficult issues.’